Door handles in ancient Egypt:
The Egyptians can be considered the first to invent key locks and use them to open and close doors, as well as increase the level of security in spaces. These locks had keys that were about 60 centimeters long and also served as door handles. Of course, at that time, the use of door handles and locks was specific to the aristocratic and wealthy class of Egypt. Ordinary people also used a rope loop embedded on wooden doors as a handle. Closing the latch with a rope was also considered a way to increase security in those days.
Ancient Rome:
In the years before and after the birth of Christ, the Romans increased the use of door handles and paid attention to the technical and aesthetic evolution of door handles to the point where they were used inside buildings and on interior doors as well.
Door handles in Europe:
Although there is no clear history of the evolution of door handles after the fall of Rome until the first century AD, the oldest European doors, such as the “Bernward doors” in the “Hildesheim Cathedral” in Germany, were ordered and installed by “Bishop Bernward” between 938-1022 AD. Large rings were embedded on each of the door leaves, which were used not only for decorative purposes but also as handles. In later years, the use of these elements with a dual decorative and handle function became popular on other doors as well.
Later, in the mid-seventeenth century, the use of knob locks as locks and door handles in Europe increased. After the industrial revolution in Europe, the production and use of various door handles increased. The invention of lever handles also took place during this period.
History of door handles in America:
Until about 1830, door handles were mainly produced in European countries to the extent that in 1838, the United States imported 80 to 95 percent of their required door handles from European countries. In the years leading up to and after the 100th anniversary of the United States’ declaration of independence, the production of door handles grew rapidly in America from 1830 to 1880. More than 100 inventions and ideas for various types of door handles were registered. However, the first person to come up with and register the idea of combining a door handle and lock to keep the door closed was an African-American citizen named Osbourn Dorsey.
Mr. Dorsey’s invention:
The mechanism of this door handle is an early example of door handles that are now known in the building industry as “lever handles”. The way it works is that by turning the spindles that are installed on both sides of the door (inside and outside), the user can open the door. This simple mechanism, which results from the combination of the practical use of a door handle (visible spindles) and a lock (secretly installed inside the door frame), opened a new chapter in the production of building door handles and even various types of locks compatible with them.
Twentieth century:
With the onset of the 21st century and the beginning of modernism, as well as the increasing attention to factors such as beauty, practicality, and even decoration by different strata of societies, architects and designers also began to pay serious attention to the design of door handles as an effective part of a modern lifestyle.